NKorea’s Kim issues threat before SKorea-US drills
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened to launch a powerful retaliatory strike against South Korea if provoked, state media said Sunday, a day before the start of annual South Korean-U.S. military drills that Pyongyang calls an invasion rehearsal.
South Korean and U.S. officials have said the 12-day, largely computer-simulated war games are defensive in nature.
The reported threat came a day after a senior U.S. envoy said ties between the rival Koreas must improve before the United States and North Korea can achieve real progress in their relationship.